In recent times, the popularity and number of participants in sports that require a rider to balance themselves upon a board has grown tremendously. Examples of such sports include surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and wake boarding which require the placement of both feet upon a single board, as well as skiing which requires the placement of each foot upon individual board.
One problem, however, that exists with the participation in many of these sports is that these activities must often be performed in locations under conditions that are not easily reproducible in other locations. Hence, one's ability to master certain skills related to the use of one of these devices is limited. Another problem which exists is that in many instances multiple devices must be utilized to master skills related to both boarding activities as well as skiing activities.
What is needed therefore, is a training device that enables a person to practice various movements upon a board-training device while remaining in a generally stationary location and position. In the past, a variety of other devices have made attempts to simulate and recreate the feel of riding a board type of device. However, none of these devices have proven effective in one of these devices and none of these devices have provided a device that allows for some of the most basic moves to be simulated and recreated in a generally stationary practice location.
For example, the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,115 contains a singular elongated cylinder and is positioned beneath the platform of the device. This elongated cylinder rolls from one position to another along the bottom of the device. This device lacks the ability to properly simulate the movement and action of a device such as a snowboard or surfboard that does not have this longitudinally positioned wheel, and which is steered by shifting one's weight so as to allow the portion of the board near the back of the device to remain in one position, while the front of the device is swept in a direction which allows the direction of the turn to be selected.
Other types of training devices have also been invented that attempt to recreate the feel of a snowboard type of device. An example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,787. This device also includes a location and adaptation that allows the rotation and pivot of the board over a pair of points. However, this device also fails to provide a device that allows one end of the board to pivot over a point while the other end of the device swings in a generally semicircular path. This device particularly does not allow the user to point the front end of the device in a downward orientation while moving the front end of the device in a lateral direction to either the left or the right so as to simulate the sweeping movement that is required by the use of a snowboard, surfboard, skateboard, or the like in actual practice.
These aforementioned desired types of movements are the natural movements that are utilized by most board users so as to be able to control the rate of speed and the orientation of the board and its rider as they traverse a designated surface. None of the prior art devices describe a device that allows a user to practice such movements, or provide a training device that truly replicates the feel and movements that takes place when such a device is utilized on the actual desired sport surface.
The present invention has a design that provides a user with this ability to practice those techniques and train those particular muscle groups that will be utilized and implemented in the actions of riding and utilizing a surfboard, snowboard, skateboard, or other such similar device. The device of the present invention can be utilized indoors or outdoors and provides a variety of advantages to the user as a training and recreational device. This is due in part to the ability that a rider of this device has to sweep the front end while the rear portion pivots and rocks over a pivot point. In addition to this feature by reversing the orientation of the board from the orientation that is utilized in recreating boarding activities the present invention can also be utilized as a ski training device.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.